Device for removing ticket blanks from ticket cassette

Abstract

An airline ticket printer includes a magnetic reading and writing station that has a read/write head for recording information on, or reproducing information from, a magnetic stripe carried on the ticket. The ticket is driven past the read/write head by a drive mechanism that contacts the ticket at a substantial distance from the read/write head so that the magnetic stripe is free to flex independently of the portion of the ticket that is in contact with the drive mechanism. More satisfactory contact between the read/write head and the magnetic stripe is thereby achieved. The ticket printer also has a second reading/writing station in series with the first station along a ticket feed path, so that errors in reading or writing by the first station may be detected and/or corrected at the second station. A ticket feed path is constructed using feed modules that are mounted on pins extending from a vertical mounting plate. Tickets are pre-staged from a ticket storage bin to a staging point to reduce print-cycle time. The storage bin is a cassette that can be removed from the printer. New tickets are printed using information that had been magnetically recorded on old tickets that are inserted in the printer. The printer's control system includes a printer electronics board and one or more single-slot PC/AT (ISA bus) microcomputers that are plugged into respective slots of a mother board. The printer includes a thermal printer engine with a platen and a print head. The platen and print head are disengaged from each other except when a ticket is in between them for printing.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. In a ticket printing device, an apparatus for removing tickets from a cassette which holds a stack of vertically oriented tickets, the apparatus comprising, means for receiving and holding the cassette,   feed means for upwardly feeding from said cassette a first ticket of said stack, and   bias means for biasing said stack in a lateral direction so that said first ticket is engaged by said feed means.   
     
     
       2. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a push plate in contact with said stack of tickets and biased by said bias means to exert a force on a last ticket of said stack of tickets. 
     
     
       3. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said feed means includes a feed roller for engaging a first ticket of said stack of tickets. 
     
     
       4. A method of removing a ticket from a ticket cassette, the method comprising the steps of: providing a stack of vertically oriented tickets in the ticket cassette;   biasing the stack of tickets in a lateral direction to bring a first ticket of the stack of tickets into engagement with a feed mechanism; and   feeding the first ticket in an upward direction to remove the first ticket from the cassette.   
     
     
       5. A ticket-storing and -feeding apparatus in a ticket printing device, the apparatus comprising: a cassette for holding a stack of vertically oriented tickets, the cassette including a bottom wall and side and end walls, said vertically oriented tickets extending in part above said side and end walls of said cassette;   means for receiving and holding the cassette;   feed means for upwardly feeding from said cassette a first ticket of said stack; and   bias means, provided separate from said cassette and located at one of the end walls of said cassette, for biasing said stack of tickets in a lateral direction so that said first ticket is engaged by said feed means.   
     
     
       6. An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said ticket printing device includes a vertical plate adjacent to which said cassette is placed, said bias means being mounted on said vertical plate. 
     
     
       7. An apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising a push plate in contact with said stack of tickets and biased by said bias means to exert a force on a last ticket of said stack of tickets. 
     
     
       8. An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said feed means includes a feed roller for engaging a first ticket of said stack of tickets.